CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The Jumbos hit seven first-half three-pointers and outlasted seven second-half triples from the Lynx as Lesley's comeback came up short in an 87-75 loss to Tufts Tuesday night.
Alex Goldfarb tied for game-high honors with 16 points on 4-9 shooting from distance, and Tufts' Ben Ferris followed with 15. For Lesley, Kris Bennett scored a team-high 16 on a perfect 7-7 shooting (video below).
Tufts' bench combo of Goldfarb (New York, NY/Poly Prep) and Ferris (Essex Junction, VT/Essex) came off the pine to hit three three-pointers each in a first half in which Tufts opened up a 21-point halftime lead. After the Jumbos nailed 7-15 for a gaudy 46 percent clip in the frame, Lesley came out even hotter in the second half, hitting 7-11 for a robust 64 percent from downtown, but Tufts' moved inside the arc to seal the win in the second.
With Lesley leading 8-4 after a Bennett (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) layup, the sharpshooting Jumbo duo combined for five of their six first-half treys in a 21-5 run that pulled Tufts in front 25-13. Goldfarb's third triple of the period in the final minute sent the Jumbos into the locker room with a 47-26 halftime lead.
Not only did Tufts outshoot the Lynx from the floor 56 percent to 35 percent in the first, the Jumbos dominated the glass 22-13, but the second half would be another story.
A pair of Matt Gibson (Quincy, MA/Lexington Christian) three-pointers off Bennett steals to open the second half instantly pulled the Lynx to within 47-32. Still trailing by 15 just inside the 15:00 mark, Gibson's third bomb in a span of 4:28 brought Lesley to within a dozen at 53-41, and a John Sanchez (Carson, CA/Saint John Bosco) layup later made it a 63-52 game with under 9:00 left.
Goldfarb then sparked a 9-0 run with his fourth three-pointer and a two-point jumper, and a Ferris layup landed the Jumbos comfortably in front again, 72-52 in the closing minutes. While the visitors were red-hot from deep in the first half, Tufts moved inside in the second, hitting 12-17 two-point field goals, good for 71 percent, in holding off a peskey Lynx club that forced nine Jumbos second-half turnovers.
Bennett entered the night shooting a New England Collegiate Conference-best 81 percent from the field, but that ridiculous rate rose to 89 percent on 16-18 shooting through four games.
The Lynx return to play at No. 10 MIT on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., while Tufts travels to Wheaton Thursday night.
